Automatically-operated railway-switch.



J. E. LAING.

AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED 001219, 1912.

1,072,337, Patented Sept. 2, 19 13.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

q Vi Mmoow J. E. LAING.

AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED oc'r.19, 1912.

1 72,337. Patented Sept. 2, 1918.

2 BHEETSSHEET 2.

fa/r/z 545/4? wirbneooeo COLUMBIA PuNbaRAPn CD..WASHINGTON n c IINI'I 'IATES PATENT FFICE.

JOHN E. LAING, 0F DUBOIS, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ON1'J-HALF TO JOHN I. MITCHELL, OF BELLS LANDING, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATICALLY-OPERATED RAILWAY-SWITGI-L Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

Application filed October 19, 1912. Serial No. 726,663.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. Lame, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dubois, in the county of Clearfield and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatically- Operated Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to switches for railways and is particularly adapted to switches used in mining railways and has for its principal object the provision of a switch that is adapted to be operated by a runaway car that has become detached from the main t "am so as to throw the car into a siding and oil of the main line to prevent accident.

Another object of my invention is the provision of an improved operating means for switches comprising a catch adapted to be operated by an arm mounted on the car to release the switch members to be actuated by a weight or its equivalent to connect the main line with a siding.

Another object of my invention is the provision of an arm pivotally mounted on each end of the car in position to actuate the switch latch heretofore referred to, said arm being held in a raised position when the car is coupled and is released into operative position should the car become uncoupled, the rearmost car of the train having the arm extending downwardly into operative position at all times.

My invention will be described in detail hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of a railroad and a car mounted thereon showing my improved switch operating mechanism; Fig. 2, a top plan view showing the switch in position with the main line open; Fig. 3, a similar view showing the siding connected with the main line; Fig. 4, a 1011- gitudinal sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5, a cross sect1on on the plane indicated by the hue 5-5 of F10. 2.

In the drawings similar reference characters will be used to designate corresponding parts in the several views.

In mine railroads, one of the dangers is the liability of one or more of the cars at the rear end of the train breaking away from the train and running wild through the mine, and where the trains closely follow one another, it will be apparent that there is grave danger of wrecks caused by these runaway cars. The purpose of my invention as heretofore stated, is to prevent the runaway cars from doing damage and to this end I locate sidings at suitable distances apart on each incline within the mine to take care of such runaway cars and in the drawings I have illustrated one of these sidings with the switch operated mechanism. 1

The main line of my track indicated at 1 will have located at suitable distances switches consisting of the switch points 2, 3, that are normally in alincn'icnt with the main track 1 and the switch points t and 5 that connect with a suitable siding (not shown), all of said switch points 2, 3, t and 5 being suitably pivoted at their terminals farthest removed from the track rails 1 by any suitable n'leans (not shown) in the drawings. The switch points 2, 3, 4L and 5 adjacent to the track rails 1 are also pivoted to a cross bar 6 by means of bolts or other equivalents 7, this structure insuring the movement of the free ends of the switch points 2, 3, 4i and 5 sinmltaneousliy.

Pivotally secured to the switch points 2 by means of a bolt or rivet 8 is a plate 9 having its free end provided with a flexible member 10 that is trained around pulleys 11 and supports a weight 12 on its free terminal mounted within a suitable casing 13 arranged at the side of the track. It: will be apparent that the weight 12 normally tends to move the switch points 2, 3, i and 5 so that the points 1 and 5 are in alinement with the main track rails 1 to throw any car moving down the track into the siding heretofore referred to and to prevent this movement of the switch points 2, 3, -11- and 5, I provide a latching means comprising a shaft 14 journaled on the plate 9 and having a laterally extending arm 15 that engages the inclined projection 16 on the tie 17 adjacent to the terminals of the switch points 2, 3, 4 and 5.

In order that the latch arm 15 may be raised from engagement with the projection 16 to release the switch to the influence of the weight 12 by means of an apparatus secured to the car which will he hereinafter more particularly described, I provide a bar 18 that is arranged longitudinally of the track and pivotally secured at one of its terminals to a crank arm 19 extending from the shaft 1 1 and having its other terminal pivotally connected to a crank arm 20 on a. shaft 21 journaled on a .tie 22 at a distance i from the switch. The terminals of the bar 18 are provided with slots 23 to receive the' pivotal connections hereto-fore described to; permit a slight transverse movement of the terminal of the bar 18 connected with the, crank arm 19 when the switch is actuated by the weight as heretofore described, so thatthe bar 18 assumes the position as shown in In Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown a car mounted on the main line track 1, said car being assumed to be the rearmost car of a train going up the incline as shown in Fig. 1 and said car designated 24 is provided with means to engage the bar 18 to'rotate the shaft 145 and lift the latch arm 15 from engagement with the projection 16 to permit the switch to be actuated to throw the car on the siding should it be uncoupled or sists in providing the bumper 25 on one side of the coupling with a plate 26 by means of a suitable bolt 27 having rearwardly extending cars 28 between which is suitably pivoted an arm 29 that will nor-mally hang down in the position shown in Fig. 1 so that should the car 2i be disconnected from the train in any manner and run down the track 1, the arm 29 will engage the bar 18 and by moving it toward the shaft 14 will cause said shat-t to rock and lift the latch arm 15 from engagement with the projection 16 and open the siding (not shown) to the main line as heretofore described.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is i 1. In combination with the main line of a railroad, a switch having switch points, means to hold said switch normally in position to keep the main line open, means nor: mally tending to move the switch to connect siding rails with the main line, and means to release the holding means aforesaid to actuate the switch, including a connect-ion for said switch points, a bar disposed longitudinally of the main line between the rails thereof, a shaft mounted for rotation on said connection, one terminal of said bar secured intermediate the ends of said shaft, and the other terminal of said bar reciprocatingly mounted above said rails.

2. In combination with the main line of a railroad, a switch comprising switch points pivotal'ly secured, two of said switch points being in alinement with the main line and normally in position to retain said main line in an open position, a plate operatively secured to said first mentioned switch points having one of its terminals extending be-. yond the outer edge of one of the rails of said main line, the other of said switch points being connected with the siding, a latching means to hold the switch in position to retain the main line in its open position, means normally tending to move the switch points to connect the siding with the main line, including a weight operatively secured to the extended terminal of said plate, a bar extending longitudinally of the main line between and above the rails thereof and 10peratively connected with the latch, said bar being adapted to be engaged a projection on a car moving on the main line to release the latch and permit the switch to be actuated to connect the siding with the main line.

3. In a switch actuating mechanism, in combination with main line rails, a switch comprising switch points connected with the main line and with a siding, a plate operatively secured to said switch points, a weight operatively secured to said plate and normally tending to move the switch to connect the siding and switch points withthe main line, a shaft journaled on said plate, a latch arm projecting from said shaft and adapted to lock the switch against actuation by said weight to hold the main line switch points in alinement with the main line, and means adapted to be actuated by a car moving on the main line to release said latch and the plate to the influence of said weight.

4. In a switch actuating mechanism, in combination with main line rails, a switch comprising switch points connected with the in alinement with the main line,a bar eX- tended longitudinally of the main line and operatively connected with said shaft, said barbeing adapted to be engaged by a projection on a .car moving on the main line to lift said latch and release the plate to the influence of the weight aforesaid.

5. In .a switch actuating mechanism, in combination with main line rails, a switch comprising switch points connected with the main line and with a siding, a plate operatively secured to said switch points, a weight operatively secured to said plate .and normally tending to move the switch to connect the siding and switch points with the main line, a shaft journaled on said plate, a latch arm projecting from said shaft andadapted to lock the swit h against actuation by said weight to hold the main line switch points lift the latch and release the plate to the 10 in alinement with the main line, a crank arm influence of the weight aforesaid.

secured to said shaft a shaft journaled at a In testimony whereof I afiix my signature distance from the switch and rovided with in presence of two witnesses.

' a crank arm, a bar arranged ongitudinally JOHN E LAING of the main line and pivotally engaging said crank arms, said bar being adapted to be Witnesses:

engaged by a projection on a car moving on B. F. KLEINGIMA, the main line to actuate said shaft and t0 GER'IRUDE MITCHELL.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

